Psychosocial Factors Behind Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) Among Young Adults: The Effects of Phubbing, Social Comparison, Exhaustion, and Loneliness

In today’s hyperconnected society, Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) has emerged as a prominent psychological phenomenon particularly among young adults who are heavily engaged with social media. FOMO is often associated with negative psychological outcomes, including emotional well-being, online social anxiety, sleep disturbances and problematic digital behaviours. This study investigates the psychosocial factors contributing to FOMO among young adults by examining the roles of phubbing, social comparison, exhaustion, and loneliness.  Using cross-sectional research design, data were collected through an online survey from 134 young adult social media platform users. The data were analysed using SmartPLS to examine the relationships between the psychosocial factors and to identify the most significant predictors of FOMO. The findings show that social comparison is the most significant predictor to FOMO. This finding supporting the perspective of Social Comparison Theory that individuals evaluate themselves based on other people lives as presented in social media. Phubbing and loneliness also demonstrated positive but modest association with FOMO. On the other hand, the findings show that exhaustion does not significantly influence FOMO. The study highlights that academic fatigue and burnout may not directly influence this phenomenon as strongly as interpersonal and social behaviour. The interventions that promote digital mindfulness, better social relationships, and effective academic mechanisms are needed in helping young adults to mitigate FOMO. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and mental health professionals that should play their roles as psychosocial drivers of FOMO. The practical direction for prevention and intervention strategies should be offered to protect the well-being of youth in digital environment.